Professional development (PD) for early childhood educators has received increased attention as a means of bolstering young children's learning and development. Theory and research indicate that educators' characteristics play roles in both their own learning and that of children; however, little research has explored who participates in PD. This…

Despite the key role that principals play in leading schoolwide change, districts' efforts to support principals are often limited, particularly in rural settings. In this article, we report the preliminary findings of a cross-district mentoring program for nine midcareer rural school principals. The collaboratively developed human resource…

The six essential elements of this model are based on adult learning principles: (1) motivation; (2) ongoing meetings; (3) changes in attitudes, knowledge, and skills; (4) varied formats; (5) small number of participants; and (6) continuous feedback. Comparison with large seminars and individual study illustrates the merits of this format. (SK)

The Personal Adult Learning Lab was establsiehd at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education (GCCE) at the University of Georgia to serve self-directed adult learners and conduct research on self-directed learning. The lab allows adult learners to design, conduct, and evaluate their personal learning experiences while proceeding at their own…

Describes two vocational programs for retarded adults--a two-semester food service program and a one-semester janitorial service program. The article discusses program eligibility, financial aid, counseling, teaching philosophy and techniques, and program content. The community college's role as a resource center is also described. (CT)

Even Start is a family literacy and support program for families with young children. This paper identifies several characteristics of adult learners in order to suggest effective approaches for working with adults to improve literacy skills. The first section presents five case studies illustrating adults with different histories, circumstances,…

Developed to serve as a comprehensive human resource directory of adult educators in Pennsylvania, as a conceptual framework for adult basic education (ABE) in Pennsylvania and as a resource guide for ABE staff who wish to sponsor local inservice projects, this handbook provides general information about ABE, adult education services and linkages,…

Mindful of the need for quality professional development and its characteristics, large numbers of educators are self-selecting to participate in workplace/community learning (WCL) experiences. Viewed as an alternative to less desirable forms of traditional professional development, WCL displays characteristics of high-quality professional…